NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/846037
JULY 2017 • NEBRASKAland 65 of the state and ends in the northwest as July turns to August. The peak pheasant hatch in Nebraska occurs during the first week of June and the chicks usually become mobile well before the combines start running. That being said, many unsuccessful pheasant hens will attempt to re-nest later in the summer. For this reason, pheasant production and brood survival often improves with a delayed wheat harvest, because of rain for instance. Too much precipitation can also be detrimental to pheasant reproduction, however. Whether or not pheasants use a wheat field after harvest depends a lot on the farmer, and most modern agriculture practices have not helped the birds. "Historically, once wheat was harvested, farmers would allow annual weeds to grow among the stubble during late summer," Laux said. "Back then we didn't have modern day herbicides and this weedy growth provided excellent cover and attracted nutrient-rich insects for growing pheasant chicks. Pheasants continued to use this cover throughout the fall and winter months and it provided some amazing hunting opportunities. With advances in weed control, wheat stubble has lost much of its value to pheasants, especially as brood cover." Laux said the harvesting technique can also influence the amount of use by pheasants. It can also result in financial benefits for producers, as erosion is minimal and less moisture is lost to arid winds and the scorching sun. "More and more producers are converting stripper heads because they leave taller residue in their fields which results in more moisture savings. Tall stubble is also better for pheasants so it's a win-win," he said. Small grains have been a key component to the Commission's Berggren Plan, the dynamic initiative adopted in 2016 to improve the state's pheasant hunting. Through the Open Fields and Waters Program, the Commission offers annual per acre payments to farmers who provide public hunting access. Increasing hunting access on tall wheat and milo fields is a priority across much of western Nebraska. Last year alone, there were 15,000-20,000 acres of tall stubble available for public hunting access. The bad news is that Nebraska's wheat acreage has been declining. The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service is reporting a 10 percent decrease of acreage planted to winter wheat this year compared to last, a statistic that follows a long-term trend. In Nebraska, producers planted 1.11 million acres of wheat for this coming harvest, compared to more than 2 million a decade ago and more than 3 million in the early 1980s. The all- time record, since the statistics service began keeping track, was 5.018 million acres in 1949. This long-term decline can be attributed to many different factors but ultimately wheat acres have been replaced by other crops, including corn and soybeans, which are much less beneficial to pheasants. The benefits to upland game birds usually are not enough to convince farmers to incorporate wheat into their cropping rotations. The Commission and its habitat partners may offer some incentives for small grains, but they will likely never be enough to be a major influence in the farm markets. If Nebraska's quality of pheasant hunting ever returns to the glory days of the 1950s and '60s, though, one can bet the presence of small grains will have something to do with it. ■ The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and its partner organizations have financial incentives for landowners to leave stubble for wheat and milo 14 inches or taller. For more information, visit OutdoorNebraska.org or contact one of these representatives: • Alliance: Matt Steffl, 308-763-2940 • Alma: Logan Shoup, 308-920-0336 • Chadron: Shelley Steffl, 308-432-6183 • North Platte: Adam Kester, 308-535-8025 • Kearney: Justin Haahr, 308-865-5308 Tall Stubble Programs A juvenile rooster ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) forages near a wheat field in Sioux County.